The Government of Mexico reported this Wednesday that the Attorney General of the Republic identified eight alleged perpetrators of the fire at the immigration station in the north of the country that killed at least 39 people. According to the entity, the officials did not act to evacuate the migrants from the place. The new information comes after images of the moments before the event were revealed and that change the initial version of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The version of this Wednesday, March 29, contrasts with that of the previous day, when a fire left dozens of deaths in a migration center in Ciudad Juárez, in the north of the country. According to theThe prosecutors in charge of the case have identified eight people who could be responsible for causing the incident.
Among them are two federal agents, a state immigration agent, as well as five agents from the private security company, who are already rendering their corresponding ministerial statements.
According to the head of the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Rosa Icela Rodríguez, everyone “will be summoned to give a statement, whether or not they are public servants.” A determination that includes the director of the National Institute of Migration (INM) of Mexico, Francisco Garduño.
“In no way will the facts be hidden, nor will anyone be protected. In this government, abuses and violations of human rights are punished,” he added.
The new images of the fire
After the fateful fire that left at least 40 inmates dead, the images from the security cameras of the INM station in Ciudad Juárez were released, where the exact moment of the tragedy is seen.
The six-minute tape drew attention because the security guards of the detention center left the compound without further disturbance, while the prisoners seemed desperate about what was happening. Until finally the smoke completely clouded the image.
Initially, the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, had blamed the migrants for the fire, but after the images were released, he completely changed his speech and assured that the authorities will investigate the facts with the new images and testimonies that have been released.
As well as that of Viangly Infante, a Venezuelan woman, wife of one of the survivors and witness to the tragedy, who blamed the guards for not opening the doors of the detention center so that the prisoners could evacuate.
“At 10 o’clock at night we began to see smoke coming from all sides, everyone ran away, but they left the men locked up. They took everyone out of the area, except them,” denounced the 31-year-old woman.
In the same way, AMLO indicated that he will not hide any details of the investigations and that he will not protect the competent authorities of the Government he represents.
The migration crisis is becoming more and more notorious
Inside the INM there were 68 detainees and they were in the process of being returned to their countries of origin, while others returned deported from the United States, for which the initial official version pointed out that the migrants were angry with the officials and set mattresses on fire as form of protest.
The migrants came from different countries in Central and South America, mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela, and had a “provisional stay” status in the border city with the United States.
This fact shows, once again, the deep crisis that is being experienced at the border and that leaves unfortunate situations on a recurring basis. For its part, the UN has demanded that an “exhaustive” investigation be carried out into what happened.
Other international organizations have said that the reports of abuses against migrants are not new and that they range from making them endure hunger and thirst, to cases of physical violence.
They ask for improvements for migrants
In addition to the protests that have been held outside the INM in Ciudad Juárez, migrants and human rights organizations demonstrated this Wednesday in Mexico City in solidarity with the victims of the fire. In addition, they asked for guarantees for migrants.
“This case is unfortunate. The people who died have children, they have mothers waiting for them, who only want them to arrive safely in the United States,” said Nixon Montero, a Venezuelan migrant who is in the Mexican capital on his journey to the United States.
The Government of Mexico also faces criticism for accepting the request of the United States to deploy more than 20,000 members of the Armed Forces on the borders to prevent the passage of people.
The situation has worsened since the Joe Biden government extended Title 42, which allows for the immediate deportation of migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba when they arrive in the United States by land.
The United States offers its help to Mexico after the fire
For his part, John Kirby, White House Security spokesman, ruled that the incident is a call to action that demonstrates the need to “open more legal pathways of entry” to the United States.
“Should the authorities need any support or assistance from us, we would be happy to offer it,” Kirby said.
While the White House spokeswoman, Kani Jean-Pierre, assured thatAmerican people have been working with Mexican officials to assess the situation and find answers as to what really caused the fire.
With EFE and Reuters
